 offensive |
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| 1. | [ noun ] (military) the action of attacking the enemy | |
| Synonyms: | offence offense | |
| Related terms: | operation counteroffensive dirty_war rollback | |
| 2. | [ adjective ] violating or tending to violate or offend against | |
| Synonyms: | violative | |
| Examples: | "violative of the principles of liberty" "considered such depravity offensive against all laws of humanity" |
|
| Related terms: | offending | |
| 3. | [ adjective ] causing or able to cause nausea | |
| Synonyms: | loathsome nauseous noisome sickening vile nauseating | |
| Examples: | "a nauseating smell" "nauseous offal" "a sickening stench" |
|
| Related terms: | unwholesome | |
| 4. | [ adjective ] causing anger or annoyance | |
| Examples: | "offensive remarks" |
|
| Related terms: | inoffensive abusive harmful disrespectful offensiveness | |
| 5. | [ adjective ] morally offensive | |
| Synonyms: | unsavoury unsavory | |
| Examples: | "an unsavory reputation" "an unsavory scandal" |
|
| Related terms: | savory odoriferous | |
| 6. | [ adjective ] for the purpose of attack rather than defense | |
| Examples: | "offensive weapons" |
|
| Related terms: | defensive hit-and-run assault marauding assaultive incursive antipersonnel on_the_offensive aggressive hostile | |
| 7. | [ adjective ] unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses | |
| Examples: | "offensive odors" |
|
| Related terms: | inoffensive hideous objectionable disgusting disgustful abhorrent charnel rank verminous scrimy creepy ghoulish evil unpleasant hateful unpalatable offensiveness | |
| 8. | [ adjective ] of an offensive substitute for inoffensive terminology | |
| Synonyms: | dysphemistic | |
| Examples: | "`nigger' is a dysphemistic term for `African-American'" |
|
| Related terms: | euphemistic | |
| Similar spelling: |
offensively offense offence offenseless offenceless |
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